Section I. Project Information Project Title: STRENGTHENING THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER CONSENSUS FOR PROTECTION OF SUMATRAN TIGER IN BENGKULU AREA OF KERINCI SEBLAT NATIONAL PARK, SUMATRA Grantee Organisation: LINGKAR INSTITUTE Location of project: Kerinci Seblat National Park and Surrounding areas in Lebong and North Bengkulu Districts of Bengkulu Province, Sumatra. Size of project area (if appropriate): No of tigers and / or Amur leopards in project area, giving evidence & source: Partners: This project will be carried out by LINGKAR INSTITUTE and partnered with institutions that have authority from the central level to the district level. the partner has been working with LINGKAR INSTITUTE permanently on projects in the previous year 1. The leaders and Executive of the Indonesia Islamic Scholars Council (MUI) Lebong and North Bengkulu district - will work with Lingkar Institute and lead socialisation of the Fatwa MUI No. 04/2014 which forbids the hunting of endangered wildlife to the community and village religious leaders in the project area; 2. Management Units (UPT) of the ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF)-KerinciSeblat National Park Authority and Bengkulu Unit for Conservation of Natural Resources (KSDA): these two agencies hold authority for management of forest and protected areas and wildlife conservation and will be key partners both for SMART patrols and community awareness meetings; 3. Lebong District Forestry Service, will join the project team for SMART patrols in watershed protection forests adjoining the national park; 4. Lingkar Institute holds anMoU with the national park authority and works with the Lebong Chapter of the Indonesia Muslim Leaders (MUI) under an MoU ratified in early 2017. An MoU with the North Bengkulu chapter of the Indonesia Muslim Leaders (MUI) has been agreed in principal; 5. Lingkar Institut will continue to work closely with the FFI/KSNP tiger protection & conservation units which operate from a base camp in Seblat, North Bengkulu; 6. Lebong district government, Discussions with the regents responded well to the plan of cooperation for the formation of Task Force on Human and Wildlife Conflict Mitigation in Lebong Regency; 7. Discussions with Lebong Education and Cultural Departement advise the local district government is enthusiastic are keen to test syllabus and teaching materials (RPP) of conservation education in junior high schools in lebong; 8. Lebong District Police authority will be the project team’s lead partner for wildlife crime law enforcement outside the protected area where investigations secure evidence of poaching or illegal wildlife trade; 9. The FFI/KSNP Tiger Protection & Conservation Units will be strategically important partners providing technical advice and support to Lingkar Institute, including conducting SMART patrols using information from Lingkar Institute community networks and backing up and strengthening poaching and illegal wildlife trade investigations; 10. Local community religious leaders, other forest edge community leaders and youth groups partnering with Lingkar Institute team to secure and pass on information on suspected wildlife crime, threat to tiger and tiger prey and potential human tiger conflict. Project Contact Name: ISWADI Email: [email protected] Reporting period: Start date: February 2020 End date: January 2021 Section II. Project Results Long Term Impact: The long-term impact of the support will not only address and reduce threats to wild tigers in national parks and forest edge parks but build stronger and more collaborative working relationships between local and national government agencies, development of poachers that will strengthen tiger conservation in the National Park Kerinci Seblat wider for the future. Conservation Outcome: So far, hunting actors have only been given socialization, never given regular assistance, routine assistance has been proven to change the behavior of hunters. Not only changes in behavior, but hunters who have become aware of becoming partners in raising awareness of other hunters. Before this project started, some communities on the edge of the forest area carried out activities in the forest area to meet their daily needs. Community activities in the forest were hunting both Sumatran tigers and prey animals such as deer, deer, and forest goats. This occurs due to the lack of supervision and law enforcement carried out by authorized officers. With the existence of joint patrols every month, it is able to reduce community activities to enter the forest area. Joint patrols can also address the immediate threat posed by some active hunters. The Indonesia Muslim Leaders (MUI) issued a Fatwa on the prohibition of hunting and trafficking endangered species in 2014, but it has never been disseminated to MUI administrators at the provincial and district levels, let alone at the community level. The issuance of the Fatwa did not have any impact before the project started. Village communities in general are more afraid of religious issues than the legal rules made by the government. The socialization that was carried out was able to provide explanations and knowledge previously unknown to the village community, especially those on the 2 forest edge. So that the result obtained is a change in the behavior of the people who had been hunting but now do not have the courage to return to repeat their hunting activities. Before this project was implemented, the responsibility for handling conflicts between wildlife and humans was only the responsibility of one institution, namely the BKSDA. However, at this time, although the Regent's Decree on the conflict handling task force team had not yet been signed, all agencies within the Regent's Decree are committed to taking a role in handling wildlife and human conflicts. Summary of activities and achievements: Details of Activities and Result to Date: Activity 1: Intensive socialization of the FATWA MUI No. 04/2014 in ten villages in Lebong and North Bengkulu District identified by the project team as centers for tiger and other wildlife poaching Result : The Lingkar Institute together with the Indonesia Muslim Leaders (MUI) of Lebong Regency and the MUI of North Bengkulu Regency have conducted socialization of the fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council No 04/2014 in 8 villages consisting of 4 villages in Lebong district and 4 villages in North Bengkulu Regency. Bengkulu Provincial Government does not allow face to face meetings from March to July 2020. However, the regent of Lebong in June has allowed limited meetings but by following health protocols. Socialization of FATWA MUI No. 04/2014 telah dilaksankana di Suka Datang, Teluk Dien, Ketenong Jaya, Uram Kabupaten Lebong. Di Kabuapen Bengkulu utara, sosialisasi dilakukan di Desa, Suka makmur, Air banai dan di aula Kementerian agama kabuapten Bengkulu Utara. Socialization of FATWA MUI No. 04/2014 in Suka Datang was attended by village officials, public figure and security officers who work in Suka Datang village (Babinsa). From the socialization result, it was found that several participants were indicated to be prey hunters. The socialization participants hoped that there would be a governments commitment to compensate people do not blame and hunt these animals. 3 Socialization of FATWA MUI No. 04/2014 in Teluk Dien village, this village is located in Topos sub district, Lebong district. Kerinci Seblat National Park bordered directly with Teluk Dien village. Village officials and public figure also attended this socialization. According to the head of Teluk Dien village, in his village there are no people who often hun tigers, the villages only hunt pigs that distrurb farmers crops. The head of the village will always remind the residents if anyone is hunting protected animals. A resource person from the Indonesian Ulema Council of Lebong District said thet since the birth of FATWA MUI No. 04/2014 hunting of protected and endangered wildlife has been banned by Islam. Dien bay community leaders are commited to running FATWA MUI No. 04/2014 and will convey to members of the public who are still hunting protected animals, especially the Sumatran Tiger. In North Bengkulu Regency, the MUI Fatwa Socialization activity no 04/2014 started in the hall of the ministry of religion, North Bengkulu Regency, the socialization was attended by the head of the office of the ministry of religion (KEMENAG)) North Bengkulu. The head of the office stated that he was very supportive of this activity, and hoped that this socialization material would actually reach the hunting actors so that 4 hunting activities could be stopped, especially in the North Bengkulu region. The head of the Ministry of Religion advised the management of the North Bengkulu MUI to continue to carry out activities like this and to collaborate with other related parties such as the police, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency, the environmental and forestry services. The socialization material was delivered directly by the chairman of the North Bengkulu MUI. The socialization of MUI Fatwa No. 04/2014 in Air Banai Village was held on Ulan October 2020, this socialization was attended by MUI administrators of Hulu Palik sub- district, heads of Hulu Palik sub-district, community leaders of Air Banai and Taba padang villages, religious leaders of Air Banai and Taba villages padang, and the people of Air Banai and Taba padang villages. In the socialization, the sub-district head expressed his support for this activity and the camat hoped